Honour Among Thieves  PART 1
by Inking the Worlds
Summary: The world's supervillains are disappearing, and no-one has any idea who is behind it. Can two thieves provide the world with answers, and offer Batman a chance to change the past and forgive himself for two years of pain?
1. Prologue

**PART 1**

**Gotham, 2 years ago.**

Batman stood on the brink of howling darkness, the thick folds of his cape flapping in the shivering winds blowing in from the east. Storm clouds, stained red with light bleeding out from the city below, laid a thick, roiling blanket over Gotham. The rain didn't fall, but you could feel its weight in the air, pressing down as if it could crush the thieves and murders who ran rife beneath it, flood the streets and wash them clean of the filth and corruption.

Thunder clattered across the sky, chasing a thin tongue of flickering lightning. Batman didn't spare them a second glance. All his attention was focused on the opposite rooftop, on the boy and the man who stood on the edge, mirroring him. Man? Batman questioned the use of the word, wondered whether the word could truly be applied to the creature facing him. More lightning shuddered through the clouds above, illuminating his face in staccato flashes; the chalk white skin, the bulging red eyes set into sunken sockets – they told another story. He looked inhuman. Monstrous.

And always, always there the psychotic smile. It was the smile of someone who had lost every scrap, every shred of his sanity, and who knew it, and who _enjoyed_ it.

The Joker giggled to himself when he saw Batman watching him, laughing as though he knew exactly what was passing through his mind. It was possible, in a sick way – the two of them had been through this routine for what seemed like eternity, trapped in twisted cycle of pain and fear and revenge.

But this time was different. Joker clutched the boy to him in an iron grip, and at first glance it might even have seemed like a freak act of tenderness. But then one would have seen the maniacal grin, the shining razor pressed against the boy's throat, and the kidnapping would have revealed itself for everything that it was.

Batman, being Batman, saw everything, and not for the first time felt a sick twist of fear. Not for himself, of course, but for the boy.

"Oh dear." Called the Joker in his high, sing-song voice. "It seems we have a pest control problem."

"Give it up, Joker." Growled Batman, raising his voice to be heard over the rising winds. "There's nowhere to go."

"Why don't you come over here and see for yourself?"

"Don't, Batman." Shouted the boy, ignoring the blade that pressed into his neck.

"I told you to SHUT UP!" Snapped the Joker, suddenly letting go and giving the boy a vicious back-hander across the face. The black-haired teenager fell, his lip bleeding from the force of the blow, his black eye mask slipping slightly. He caught himself before he tumbled into the void between the two buildings, his torn, yellow-lined cape dragging him down. Batman started forwards instinctively, but the boy looked up and caught his eye, sending him a wordless warning. His square, fourteen-year-old face was bruised and bleeding, but he flashed Batman that reckless, cocksure grin as if to say, _I'm not scared, not of him, not of anything_. But Batman could see the truth, even at a distance; his bare arms were trembling, the elbow length black gloves and short green sleeves failing to hide his shaking.

Joker glanced from Robin to Batman, and the grin that had momentarily slipped from his ruin of a face slid slowly back on, growing like a cancer cell.

"Alright, Bat-brain." He sighed, uncharacteristically calm. "You win. The Boy Wonder can toddle on back to daddy." He gestured, indicating the wall that joined the two buildings, that in fact joined all the buildings on this street. Crammed up as they were against the shoreline of the Gotham river, their owners had demanded some sort of protection from the frequent floods, and so a thin stone wall had been constructed, about 10cm thick but several metres tall. Robin eyed the wall warily; there was a distance of about 10 metres between the buildings – it would be possible to walk across, but the question remained: did he dare?

He glanced back at the psychopath behind him, who dropped the smile slightly and raised the razor blade about as much, rolling its handle between his fingers.

"Go on." He growled, keeping the grin fixed to his face, the skin of his cheeks stretched taut. Robin went through the choices in his head, and quickly decided to take a chance with the bridge.

Batman watched, his hands clenched into black fists. All this time he hadn't acted for fear that Joker would simply kill the boy, but now the end seemed near and the gnawing fear wouldn't go away. He saw Robin push himself shakily to his feet and take the first step onto the wall, and all the while his thoughts were racing.

_It's not this easy. It's never this easy._

Still Robin walked on, one step at a time, swaying unsteadily with each gust of wind. Gradually, he made inched closer…he was quarter of the way there…halfway…

And that was when Batman saw it. It was perfectly camouflaged, hidden in the shadow of the building. He would never have noticed it but for a single flash of brilliant white electricity arcing overhead, so bright that it seemed to throw everything into negative. And just for a split-second, the pressure-sensitive explosive latched to the side of the wall like a squat metal spider was in full view.

It was less than an inch from where Robin was standing.

Time stood still.

Batman moved, lunging forwards, and Robin froze, locking his gaze. His mouth opened, maybe to cry for help, maybe to call out a warning. But his words were whisked away by the monumental explosion that engulfed the bridge. The force knocked Batman off his feet, slamming him into the wall behind him.

"ROBIN!" He yelled. But it was too late; the boy was gone, along with most of the wall. His ears were ringing from the blast, but he could still hear one sound, overriding everything else. The Joker was whooping, yelling, _screaming_ with laughter, his whole body contorting with the hellish strength of it. Batman struggled to his feet, and the Joker turned and fled, his insanity echoing out behind him. Without stopping to think, Batman surged after him, fury coursing through him like fire. As he moved, he glimpsed two more spiders to his left and right, but he ignored them. They didn't matter now. He leapt the broken wall and crossed the roof in seconds, dropping to the street as twin explosions split the night behind him.

Revelling in the panic and confusion, chuckling incessantly to himself, the Joker made good his getaway. Or so he believed, until he turned down an alley and walked straight into Batman's chest. The force of it bowled him over, and he crashed to the pavement, looking up at Batman, whose face was set in an expression of utter fury.

"Oh, sorry, didn't see you there." Giggled Joker. Wordlessly, Batman grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him into the wall so that all the breath rushed out of him in a _whurrff_.

"OK, OK." Joker gasped, trying to ease Batman's hand off his windpipe. "I give up already. Slap on the bat-cuffs and haul me off to jail." Batman suddenly let go, letting Joker slump to the floor, retching and wheezing. Swiftly, the clown dove into his pocket to draw a flick-knife, but Batman's foot came down on his wrist. Joker could swear he could feel his bones breaking.

"Not this time." Murmured the Dark Knight. As his shadow loomed over him, the Joker started to giggle.

"You know Bats, that look is almost scary. You almost look like you could –" His sentence stopped abruptly as Batman's darkness closed around him.

They found the Joker about an hour later, tied up in the doorway of a burning building and beaten to within an inch of his life.

"Jeeeez." Whistled Detective Bullock as they carted the comatose clown away. "It looks like the Bats has really flipped it!"

Commissioner Gordon said nothing, but looked out past the flames of the eastern streets to the black murky waters of the river, feeling a great weight and sadness settle on him for his friend.

Batman broke the surface, coughing and retching. With the last of his strength, he hauled himself to the shore, where he fell upon the banks, gasping for air. For the best part of an hour he'd dived into the frigid, inky waters, searching for anything, _anything_ that could give him a shred of hope. But there was nothing. The river, swelled by the rain that was now rushing down as if the sky itself was falling, had swallowed him whole, taken what was left of his body and dragged it into the depths. Batman sat up, and watched the reflected flames flicker on the water, casting a burning sheen across the oily surface. He felt hollow, as if his very soul had been ripped out and flung away. It was nothing to do with the burns from the fire or the pollution of the river. It was the cold and simple knowledge that, despite everything, despite all his training and everything he'd worked for, Robin had needed him and he had failed.

Failed to save him.

Failed to find him.

Failed. Failed. Failed.

He closed his eyes, and let the anger grip him as fiercely as it had done that night in the alleyway when his parents had been killed in front of him. He'd been helpless to save them and he was helpless to save Robin now.

What was he going to tell Alfred?

A wave of sadness washed over him, and he watched the river rush away. He was gone. And this time, he wasn't coming back. Batman hung his head, and stared at the single scrap of red material that was all that was left of his friend.

"Jason…"


	2. Chapter 1

**Watchtower, Present Day**

Superman, J'onn and Wonder Woman stood in an annex of the Watchtower, gathered around one of the full-wall crystal television screens. The news report filled the room, Snapper Carr's voice echoing out from the hidden wall-mounted speakers.

"…standing in front of the Gotham National Bank, where this extraordinary scene unfolded just hours ago." The camera cut to CCTV footage taken from the opposite building. The glass doors of the bank burst open from the inside, scattering broken glass over the pavement and sending nearby civilians scurrying for cover. A thin, leering figure, dressed all in purple and green and sporting a semi-automatic, emerged from the wreckage, laughing inanely. Snapper continued his commentary over the images.

"The Joker, having recently escaped from Arkham Asylum, staged the daring hold-up in the early hours of this morning. However, his antics were not the highlight of the evening, as this footage shows." On the screen, the Joker suddenly turned, looking up the street at something approaching from the left. Seconds later, a second figure sprang into view, clad all in black, his eyes obscured by what seemed to be glowing blue lenses. Joker moved back, swinging his gun arm up, but before he could complete the movement the second man jumped and delivered a spinning kick to his ribcage. Joker flew backwards, crashing into the side of an innocuous black van parked by the bank. Instantly, the back doors opened and two more identical figures leapt out, grabbed Joker by his lapels and dragged him into the van. Tyres squealing, the van rocketed away, fish-tailing slightly on the street corners. The whole thing was over in seconds, which only made the ordeal more fantastic.

"The kidnappers have not been seen or heard from since then," Snapper was saying, "and the Gotham police have so far been unable to find any trace of their identities. This event is the latest in a series of bizarre abductions, whose victims have ranged from Bizarro to the Mirror Master of Central City – "

Superman reached out and turned off the television, deep in thought.

"How is this possible?" Asked Wonder Woman aloud. "How can someone have kidnapped all of these supervillains without us even seeing them?"

"The attackers act at speed." Answered J'onn in that slow, measured way of his. "By the time we hear of the abductions, they have already made their getaway."

"Perhaps if we put more people onto this, we'd get some answers." Suggested Wonder Woman, looking at Superman for approval.

"I'm sure Batman already knows." He replied. "But it wouldn't hurt to ask him to investigate."

"It may also help to answer the question of where he has been all week." Added J'onn as Superman flew to the control deck. "I realise he is only a part-time member, but it is still unusual for him not to at least check in."

Superman landed in front of the computer panel and pulled up a video call screen. Batman had stressed that the direct link to the Batcave was only to be used if the situation was dire, but Superman reasoned that the disappearance of several major villains could constitute some sort of emergency. Besides which, he was quietly worried for his friend; Batman had never been what you might call sociable, but J'onn was right – it was unusual for him not to call in every few days.

Coming to a decision, he made the connection and waited for the call to be answered. He didn't have to wait long; after only a few seconds the display flickered and dimmed to show a dark cavern and a boy standing staring at the screen. As Superman fizzled into focus on the other end, his young face split into a grin.

"Superman!" He seemed genuinely surprised. "What's up?"

"Hello, Robin. I need to talk to Batman. He hasn't checked in for a while. Is everything OK down there?"

The smile disappeared from Robin's face to be replaced by a look of concern. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, he hasn't been captured or anything."

"So where is he?"

"Well…Bruce has been acting a bit _weird_ lately. I talked to Batgirl and she just said he's always like that around this time of year. Because of, you know, what happened to the last Robin…" The boy tailed off, looking off-screen, avoiding Superman's eyes.

"Oh. I see."

"So…yeah. That's probably why he hasn't called in for a while."

Superman looked up as a red light flashed on the console beneath his hands.

"Excuse me, Robin, there's another call coming in. Thanks for your help."

"You're welcome."

Superman watched as he terminated the call, thinking about the expression of sadness on Robin's face. It didn't look right on him; it was too old an expression for someone so young. The controls bleeped insistently, drawing him back to the present. Pulling himself together, he acknowledged the call and put it on the main screen as the other two flew up to join him. There was no video, only audio, and the tracer placed the call as coming from a military research facility in the Nevada deserts.

"Justice League? This is Captain Hunt of the US Army, Research and Development."

"What can we do for you, Captain?"

"It's a little embarrassing, actually…but I've been asked to inform you of an intrusion into one of our weapons facilities."

"Was anyone hurt?"

"Fortunately not. A few of the guards have mild concussions, but nothing more serious."

"How many intruders were there?" Asked Wonder Woman.

There was an awkward silence on the other end.

"Two." Replied the Captain finally. Wonder Woman raised an unimpressed eyebrow, but said nothing.

"What's of more interest is the items that the thieves stole from our vaults." Captain Hunt continued quickly. "Two experimental infiltration units, designed for stealth missions."

"Mechas?"

"Actually, they're more like skin-tight suits. Xenolithium powered. Real cutting-edge stuff."

"And you want us to retrieve them." Guessed J'onn.

"I think that would be desirable for everybody. Quite apart from the significant financial investment that the suits represent, in the wrong hands the technology could be very dangerous. We designed the suits to also be used in combat – if they were wielded against the general public they could be incredibly dangerous."

"Is there any way of knowing where the thieves will strike?"

It was J'onn who answered. "Xenolithium emits a unique form of radiation. It's completely harmless, but given some time I believe I could track the suit's signature."

Superman nodded. "Thanks for calling us, Captain."

"No problem. I know your Justice League antics might worry some of the higher-ups, but, speaking personally, I feel better knowing you're up there watching out for us."

"Thank you, Captain. That means a lot." Superman terminated the transmission as J'onn called out from the opposite side of the room where he'd flown as soon as he knew about the xenolithium.

"I believe I have locked onto the signatures. The thieves are in Coast City."

"Good work, J'onn." Superman smiled, then put a finger to his ear, activating the comm link.

"Flash. Lantern. How do you two feel about catching some bad guys?"


	3. Chapter 2

Minutes later, the two Leaguers in question arrived simultaneously outside the Coast City Museum of Natural History, Flash super-speeding up the steps, Green Lantern gliding over the rooftop.

"I don't see why it takes two of us to break up a robbery." Complained Flash, barely stifling a yawn. "It's too early for this. Leave the night shift to Batman."

"Would you shut up?" replied Lantern irritably, opening the door using his ring. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner you can go back to bed."

Inside the rocks and gemstones gallery, all was still and silent, apart from the tiny humming from the labyrinth of invisible laser beams. Carved stone knives, like obsidian claws, hung from the walls. Rubies, resting on white satin cushions, glistened like fox eyes in the moonlight.

Suddenly, one of the shadows from among the stone masonry of the roof detached itself from the rest, falling noiselessly to the floor where it crouched, looking out to the main display in the middle of the room; a flawless black star sapphire, shimmering in the pale lights arranged around its glass case.

The shadow's eyes narrowed, and from its belt it pulled a small can of aerosol, which it sprayed out into the room. The glowing red beams were revealed in the smoky haze, painting a crimson labyrinth across the gallery. The shadow tensed before suddenly springing forwards. It moved expertly through the laser maze, somersaulting, rolling along the floor, springing to its hands and then back to its feet, a torn and tattered cape fluttering behind it. Finally, it came to a soundless halt directly in front of the sapphire, the lights suddenly bringing its suit into full view.

The main unitard was deepest jet black, with a cape of the same colour meeting around the neck and then falling past the knees, ripped and ragged at the bottom. The hands ended in gunmetal-grey gloves, and a thick belt was wrapped around her – the figure was obviously female – waist, buckled with a circular piece bearing a tiny red 'X'. Larger 'X's were woven into the knees, hands, palms and across the chest, from the left shoulder to the right ribcage. However, the most striking point was the face, which was covered by a black hood bearing a bone-white design made of some hard, raised material that mimicked the shape of a human skull. Another 'X' slashed through the whiteness, scratching a crimson scar across the right eye.

X2's eyes narrowed as she surveyed the case. After a second, she placed a cautious hand on the glass, retracting it almost immediately and leaving behind the imprint of an X about the size of a human fist. As X2 watched, the substance began to glow, and the glass melted away as though it had suddenly lost the will to remain solid.

"Perfect." She muttered, quietly pleased. The same hand reached into the newly-made hole and gently lifted the huge gemstone from its purple cushion, placing it in a sealed pocket on X's belt.

A second shadow dropped from the ceiling, landing in a crouch beside her. X2 relaxed from the tense fighting stance she'd automatically slipped into as X1 stood up. His suit was a perfect mirror of her own, but for the form and the size. Much to her annoyance, X1 was a few inches taller than her, despite her being a year his senior.

"Did we get what we came for?" He asked quietly. She flicked open her pocket by way of an answer, revealing the stone that nestled there.

"You get _your_ things?" She murmured. Her accent seemed out of place next to his; an English accent, somewhat unplaceable – London, maybe.

"You even need to ask?" He replied, the smile evident in his voice.

Suddenly, the thieves turned as voices echoed in from the next corridor.

"…All I'm saying is, Batman is probably used to these sorts of hours, but I'm not, OK? I spend my day running around the city, I need my beauty sleep!"

"Oops, time to go." Muttered X2, the two of them melting back into the shadow as the two heroes rounded the corner.

"The mystery to me," Green Lantern was saying, "is how you ever catch anyone at all if you never stop talking…" He tailed off as he looked into the room and immediately saw the empty and half-melted display case.

"Turn off the lasers." He muttered to Flash, who zipped away and then reappeared almost instantly.

"Done."

The two of them walked in slowly, Green Lantern casting a wide arc of emerald light over the glittering surfaces. For a second, the beam alighted on a dark, irregular shape, but when he turned back to flash his ring there again the space was empty. He frowned, then carried on. They moved in silence for a few more seconds, and then Flash suddenly said, "How about some light in here?"

The next moment, he was by the switch and the bright halogen bulbs overhead flickered into life.

Red X froze, utterly exposed, both of them crouched on top of a wooden cabinet immediately behind Green Lantern. If he turned around now…

Green Lantern turned around.

There was a moment's silence.

Then everyone moved at once.

Green Lantern swung his arm up, his face setting in concentration, but the two Red Xs were both already gone, X2 springing upwards from the cabinet and catching hold of the metal bar fixing the light to the ceiling while X1 leapt down, springing off his hands, then continuing the movement to slam his boot heels into Green Lantern's chest . Flash ran to the doors, slamming them closed before Red X could get anywhere near them. X2, realising that the only advantage that could be gained was the cover of darkness, swung upwards to crouch on top of the hanging light, then leapt away again as Green Lantern threw off X1 and shot a bolt of light towards her. Twisting in midair and swinging her arms, she released a swathe of scarlet throwing stars that slammed into the lights, shattering them and plunging the room back into dark confusion.

Green Lantern lit up his protective aura, casting an eerie glow onto his immediate surroundings. Flash appeared at his side, and the ex-marine motioned urgently for his partner to take the other set of doors. Flash nodded, and turned to set off, moving much slower than usual in his partial blindness.

X1, concealed between two displays, watched him through the infra-red filter in his suit. He waited for Flash to leave GL's field of vision before raising his arms, briefly aiming, and then shooting two more 'X's from his palms. These ones expanded as they flew through the air, then attached themselves to Flash's legs and upper body. The tactile adhesive glued his limbs together even as the substance wrapped itself around him, and with a quickly stifled cry he fell to the floor.

"Flash!" Green Lantern was there in a second, crouching by his writhing friend and using the hard light of his ring to try and peel the rapidly hardening goop away.

"Oh, man, this is worse than that stuff the aliens used!" Moaned the stricken speedster.

Suddenly, there was a crash behind them, and Green Lantern wheeled about, catching Red X full in his beam. X1 was perched on the windowsill, leaning down, arm outstretched to X2, who was standing below, reaching up.

"Whoops." She said, looking down at the broken vase on the floor. "My bad."

"You're…you're just kids!" blurted Lantern, obviously surprised.

"Well done, genius."

"You want to explain what you're doing?" Growled Green Lantern as Flash continued to struggle behind him. X1 tilted his head, pretending to think.

"Hmm, let's see. Black-costumed persons break into a museum in the middle of the night, melt a display case, and try to avoid superheroes who come snooping around…I'd say it's pretty obvious what we're doing."

"Wise guy." Replied Lantern distastefully.

"And girl." Corrected X2. Green Lantern aimed his ring at them, encompassing them both in a glowing bubble.

"Hey!"

"Whatever. The military wants their suits back."

"Sorry, GL. I'm having too much fun right now." So saying, the two of them slammed their hands down onto the buckle of their belts, which lit up and began to hum loudly. Their outlines flickered, and then disappeared entirely.

"What the…"

"Better luck next time, boys." The two Leaguers looked up to the skylight where Red X's waving outlines could be seen before they slipped away into the night.


	4. Chapter 3

In the weeks that followed, many more attempts were made, both by the League and by local police forces, to catch Red X wherever they struck, but none were successful. The teenage thieves had apparently wised up to J'onn's method of tracking them, and encased the suits' xenolithium cores in lead. Now, by the time authorities were aware of their presence, they were generally already gone, and on the rare occasions that they weren't, their gadgets and evidently comprehensive knowledge of martial arts techniques ensured that they soon were.

But in a world full of super-powered do-gooders, their luck couldn't last. Their first mistake came when they broke into the Metropolis International Museum. Their temptation was the very fine set of diamond necklaces on loan to the museum from the Queen of Kasnia, and to reach them the pair had to bypass a particularly elaborate set of alarms, laser tripwires and motion sensors. All of these posed no problem; however, when it came to the jewels themselves, X1 made the very simple mistake of relaxing. Throwing caution to the winds, he neglected to check the case before removing the items, and so failed to notice the tiny wire connecting the necklace to a circuit breaker concealed beneath the cushion. As soon as the jewellery was lifted so much as an inch, the wire disconnected, and drilling alarms and flashing lights activated all through the compound.

"Damn it." X1 muttered to herself, before turning and fleeing through a window after X2, smashing the glass and somersaulting to the roof below.

To their credit, they managed to run almost a whole block before He caught them, catching their breath and hiding in amongst the bare metal bones of a construction project. They leapt from the adjacent building, and landed gracefully on the thin layer of plaster that would eventually form part of the eighth floor. X1 glanced back to make sure X2 was behind him, and was just about to continue running when a silky voice behind them asked icily,

"Going somewhere?"

Slowly, X2 turned on her heels, and saw Superman hovering there, his arms folded and his face stern.

"Actually," she said conversationally, "yes. So, if you'll let us pass, we'll just be on our way…" She started to turn again, but he was there in a second, moving faster than even her sophisticated scanners could see to hover behind them.

"That's not going to happen."

"Look, Superman," said X2, backing away a few steps to stand beside X1, "I don't really want to hurt you –"

"Unlikely."

" – and you don't really want or need to bother yourself with a small-timer like me, so just back off now and this won't have to get nasty."

He raised an eyebrow. "You really expect me to move?"

She shrugged. "Not really. I just thought you should know that whatever happens now isn't personal." While she spoke, keeping his attention diverted, X1 slowly reached behind him and tapped the Xs on the backs of his hands. There was a gentle hum, and they started to glow with a gentle crimson light.

"Alright." Said Superman, alighting to speak to both of them. "Enough playing games. Come quietly and we won't have to – AAARGH!" He yelled out in sudden pain as X1 put both palms on his chest and shoved, hard, sending him stumbling back. He put a hand to skin, more in surprise than pain, and looked up as X1 stalked forwards, holding up his hands.

"Concentrated red sunlight radiation." X2 explained, almost apologetically. "We could activate the entire suit, but that would drain too much energy, and, like I said, this isn't personal. We don't want to kill you." X1 hunkered down beside him, the scarlet radiation making him recoil slightly.

"We just want to make sure you won't follow us." The boy finished. Superman leant back as he reached out with his glowing gloves, but felt a sudden thrill of relief as a familiar voice suddenly called out.

"Stop!" Red X spun around as J'onn alighted on the construction grid, his blue cape fluttering in the slight breeze. "Take your hands away from him."

"Oh, man." Said X2, slowly doing as the Martian asked. "Two of the big players, just to catch little old us? I'm flattered."

"Three." The thieves spun again as Batman appeared from the shadows in that disconcerting way of his.

"Oh come on!" She said, suddenly sounding worried, backing away from the three of them. "This is hardly fair now, is it?" Quietly, she searched for a way out, but there wasn't one immediately obvious – the platform on which they stood was about the size of a single bedroom, and was the only solid surface for three floors but for the metal exoskeleton of the building which extended backwards for about 20 metres. The Martian was covering that exit. On the other side the structure faced the street, eight floors below. The suit might handle a fall like that…but Batman was standing in the shadows of the last vertical girder. They'd never get anywhere near.

Backing up so that she stood on the edge of the plaster floor, her back to the geometric grid of red metal that spread out above and below her, she glanced at X1, hoping desperately that he'd have some sort of brilliant idea. She was more than a little disappointed, therefore, to see that he was still standing stock still next to Superman, staring at Batman as if he'd just been slapped across the face.

"I would say it is necessary." Said J'onn, gliding forwards, breaking the spell. "Move away from Superman." X1 obliged, stepping back until he was by X2's side. She glanced at him again, but he wouldn't meet her eye.

"I guess this is the part where you all attack en masse? Defeat the bad guy?" She asked, masking her fears.

"Something like that." Said Batman, before suddenly flinging a weighted rope at X1 designed to wrap around his arms, preventing him from using his gadgets. However, the boy instantly snapped out of his daze, reacting so quickly it was as if he saw the attack before it happened; as soon as Batman moved, he tapped his palm and out of it blossomed a large, red, X-shaped blade, which he swung even as it was expanding to cut through the rope before it hit him.

"That," he said, keeping the blade in hand, "was uncalled for."

J'onn laid Superman back on the floor, then put his arms by his side, and, becoming transparent and ghost-like, sank through the metal bars.

"Oh, great." Groaned X2. Batman started towards them, but X1 pounced forwards, catching the older man on the chest and pushing him backwards. Batman grabbed the boy's scruff, and the two of them toppled backwards off the edge, landing hard on a long girder suspended from a crane. Batman moved to lock the boy's harms behind him, but X1 was expecting the move and sprang away, rolling to stand at the opposite side of the girder. For a second, the two faced each other, weighing up their opponent. Then X1 launched himself forwards, and Batman moved to defend.

J'onn rose out of the floor behind X2. She sensed him, rather than heard him, and kicked out, her boot passing through his insubstantial form. Unfazed, she continued the move, growing a blade to match her partner's and swinging it towards J'onn's head as he became tangible. As he dodged, J'onn noticed she used the flat rather than the point or sharp side, as if she were aiming to stun rather than kill. Quickly, he caught the weapon in one hand, then deflected a punch from X2's other hand. He twisted the blade, forcing her to let it clatter to the floor, then lunged forwards as she tried to drop to the girder below. He stretched his body, and then wrapped himself, snakelike, around her. She kicked and struggled, but couldn't break free, and he started to squeeze gently – not too much, just enough to knock her out.

On the level below, X1 and Batman fought like demons, spinning around each other, kicking, blocking, punching. Batman's mind was whirling as he fought the teenager, moving on instinct rather than thought. Out of the wish not to hurt the boy, he held back his better moves, but still X1 matched him move for move, blocking every strike, just as Batman could block every one of his. It was like X1 knew what was coming. But inside himself Batman knew it was more than that. He _knew_ this fighting style. It was the same blend of martial arts that he had been taught when he was learning, the same techniques that he taught to all of his students. An impossible suspicion took root in his mind, and as they continued to fight, he sensed that the same thought was running through X1's mind. The boy was breathing hard, his moves becoming more and more predictable. Finally, he struck out with a high punch that Batman caught, and their eyes met over the short space, and suddenly it was as if the masks were torn away and each could see the other clearly for the first time.

"_Jason?_"

"…_Bruce?_"


	5. Chapter 4

Above them, the oxygen was draining from X2's lungs. J'onn felt her going limp and started to unravel before he seriously hurt her.

Suddenly, a crackling bolt of high-voltage electricity arced from the nearest roof, slamming squarely into the Martian's back. X2, held in his coils, screamed as the energy hit her, sending sparks flying from her suit. However, the material insulated her from the worst of the damage. J'onn was not so lucky. The electricity travelled the length of his body, and he cried out in agony, releasing X2 as his body snapped back to his original shape before crumpling to the floor, his cape smoking slightly.

"J'onn!" Yelled Batman and Superman.

"Taryn!" Cried X1. He and Batman broke away from each other as they leapt for the next level, each kneeling by their fallen friend.

"What did she _do_?" Growled Superman, struggling to get up.

"She didn't do anything!" growled X1, turning on Superman, who staggered to his feet and made his way towards J'onn.

"He's right." Said Batman, stepping away from the prone Martian and pointing upwards. "Look there!"

They all followed his gaze, and through his infra-red lenses X1 saw two figures crouching on the rooftop, staring right back at his. They were humanoid, but their metal-plated skin and glowing blue sensory arrays, given the appearance of lenses, marked them out for what they really were.

"Robots?" Superman said incredulously.

"You _are _kidding." Muttered X1. But, even as he spoke, one of the figures rose, wielding a huge, bazooka-like weapon which started to glow as it charged. He and Batman leapt out of the way in separate directions, leaps that took X1 closer to the edge but Batman further into the structure. Superman, unused to having to dodge attacks, instead set his feet and placed his hands in front of his face. The electricity hit him squarely in the palms, and he grunted with effort, rocking back with the impact. Then, slowly, impossibly, he pushed forward, forcing the beam away from him, sending a halo of white sparks dancing into the metal. Weakened though he was, the Man of Steel was still strong enough to withstand the continued bolt of high-voltage electricity, and X1 watched in amazement, the night's revelations momentarily forgotten.

Unfortunately, the enemy had come prepared for Metropolis' red caped protector. While Superman's attention was diverted, a second team on the opposite rooftop got into position to fire. Another bright flare, this one glowing eerily green, shot from their weapon, sinking into Superman's exposed back and spreading like a virus over his body. The kryptonite bolt was small, and unfocused, but even so it was enough. Superman gasped, the colour suddenly draining from his face. His hands dropped as his body went limp, and the electricity hit him squarely in the logo before cutting off. His unconscious form sailed over the grid, smacking into the only unstable column in the entire project. There was a sound like a gong being struck that resonated through the structure, turning every girder into a huge vibrating rod that made X1 and Batman clamp their hands over their ears.

And then the whole thing started to topple over.

The tilt was sudden, and structure lurching drunkenly towards the open street like a boxer who's suffered one too many punches. The two conscious people still on it were forced to drop, clinging to the girders like driftwood from a sunken ship. Batman watched, alarmed, as J'onn and Superman started to slide down, and then forced himself into action before they began to fall. He jumped, whipping out his grapple-gun and firing it behind him into the back end of the structure. His calculated swing took him past both of his teammates, and he grabbed as much of their capes as he could hold, finding no other way of catching them both. At the same time, X1 saw X2 rolling towards the edge, and dove for her, grabbing her by the waist and pinning her down. For a second they were safe, but then there was a screech of tearing metal as another beam gave way, and the girder X1 sat on dropped by 45°. As X1 scrabbled for a purchase on the sliding steel, Batman swung downwards, extending his grapple cable to reach the ground.

He almost made it. But then, 'almost' never won a game of poker. Just before he reached his goal, a support beam decided that it could no longer hold the torsion from the girders attached to it, and broke free from its holdings, swinging towards him as he hung 12 feet above the ground. X1, dangling above the abyss with one hand on the girder and the other around X2, looked up and tried to cry a warning. But though Batman turned, he couldn't move in time. He let go of the grapple to speed his descent, but still the cold metal clipped his shoulder and upper body. He and the other Leaguers slammed down into a pile of thin pipes, meant to provide drainage, and then to the floor. The pipes, stirred from stability, rolled down after him, burying him and the others underneath a mound of metal.

X1 gasped, unable to help himself or, more to his anguish, them. The structure all around her creaked and groaned, then suddenly shuddered down another few feet. He could feel his hold on the building slipping. In his head, he could hear someone laughing. Flames reared up before his inward eye. This was it. This was how he died.

Suddenly, he growled. He was NOT going to die. Not now. Not like this. He still needed answers.

Using every last iota of his strength, X1 pulled himself and his friend up towards the girder. Gradually, his arms shaking, he pushed his elbow over the side, and was just about to drag himself over the edge when he froze, his blood chilled by the last sound he expected to hear.

"Mommy?" The child's cry was tiny, muffled by the sounds of the toppling building, but X1's sophisticated sensors heard it. Unable to stop himself, he turned, and with the sensation that his heart had just dropped into his stomach saw the boy standing in the middle of the street, right in the building's impact zone.

He was very young, only 4 or 5, and clearly lost, looking around with huge eyes and a tear-stained face. X stared, his fiery resolve suddenly weakening. Another huge groan from the metal beams, and he looked up just in time to see the androids aiming their weapons at the base of the construction.

"NO –" he started, but too late, the robots discharged their weapons and the already weak metal tore away from the foundations.

On the ground, Batman dragged his head out from the dirt, a trickle of blood running from the corner of his mouth down to his chin, his vision blurred and his entire body sending sharp jolts of agony to his brain. His right shoulder was strangely numb, but he couldn't worry about that as he took in the scene unfolding in front of him. The building was gone, no saving it now, and Red X were plummeting to the ground with it, straight towards a wide-mouthed infant who didn't so much as run. He saw X1 spin around to gather his girl to him, saw thief's outline distort and then fade, blinking out as he teleported away. For a second there was nothing, and then the air next to the child darkened as Red X reappeared, grabbing the child and then fading out again milliseconds before the building struck the ground with a sound that detonated like an atomic bomb. Batman stared, his mind in shock from what he'd just seen, what he knew without a doubt and yet for which had no scrap of explanation. And then a new wave of pain broke over him, and the darkness that had been building in the corners of his vision rushed in to blot out everything.

Two streets away, the late-night commuters stopped and turned with expressions of shock as the sound of the structure collapse reached them. Several people screamed, and then screamed again as a previously empty space in front of a clothes shop suddenly became occupied by a black-costumed, skull-headed figure tightly clinging to an unconscious companion and a crying child. A young woman cried out, and pushed through the crowd to reach them, calling the child's name as she went.

"Billy! Billy, come here to mommy!"

"Mommy!" The infant smiled, and X1 let him go, gently readjusting his hold on X2 to carry her in his arms. Then he straightened up and noted with some amusement the stunned expressions on most everyone's face. He nodded to them, and then reached down to his belt to reactivate the teleport. There was a tinny whine, and he glanced down. The power readout on the belt's buckle showed as empty, and he cursed it under his breath.

"Dammit." He looked back at the crowd, and saw that their expressions had suddenly turned to fear. Most had backed off several paces.

"What?" He demanded angrily. "The costume's not that scary…" Too late, he realised that they weren't looking at him, and started to turn just as the electric stun weapon fired into the base of his neck. He jerked once, then fell to the ground, instantly unconscious, and the civilian crowd turned and fled as the robotic assassins looked up at them with glowing eyes.


	6. Chapter 5

Batman awoke slowly, his every muscle aching like it had been put through a blender. He was sitting, slumped, against the back of some sort of cell, the damp stone cold against his back. He made to push himself up with his right arm, then just managed to stifle a yell as fiery pain lanced through him. Instinctively, he held the limb clutched to his chest, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth as he waited for the pain to subside. Finally, it died down a little, and, gently, cautiously, he probed his arm and shoulder, searching for the break. He found it at the very top of his humerus, just below the socket. Judging by the feel, and the level of pain, it was bad; definitely broken, maybe even shattered. He knew how to ignore the pain, and how to lessen its effects (it wasn't like he hadn't had practice), but even so it was a struggle; the intensity of it made him want to be ill, and so to distract himself he made a detailed mental note of the room and everything in it.

It wasn't the worst cell he'd been in, by any means, but it still wasn't pleasant. It was about 6 foot by 7 by 8, made of huge stone slabs, rough, unsanded; maybe granite. The whole thing smelt of damp and decaying mould, and water cast a thin, oily sheen over every surface. The floor was flat, and covered by a layer of smooth concrete. A bed rose out of the ground at the back, part of the stonework and topped with a thin, worn mattress. It didn't look particularly inviting, and Batman wasn't ready to stand yet anyway. The ceiling was as smooth as the floor, and in the centre, out of reach of the bed, was a tiny ventilation grate about the size of his palm, covered by a thin wire mesh. As Batman watched it, a trickle of water ran along its rusty rim and then hit the wire, vaporising instantly with a growling crackle. Electrified.

Three of the walls were completely featureless but for the rocks they were made of, which were embedded in more concrete. However, the wall directly on Batman's right was made of thick metal bars arranged in a criss-cross style with holes barely large enough to fit an arm through. There was a low, ominous buzzing emanating from it, and Batman was wise enough not to touch it. Whoever built this place, he thought, has a thing for electricity. In the centre of the wall of bars, there was a door, barely large enough for a man to walk through. It was secured on the other side with a heavy bar and six deadlocks, three on each side. There was a keypad to release them, which Batman couldn't have reached even if the bars weren't electrified.

There was no light in the room, and so the only illumination came in bright squares from the corridor beyond. Batman stood cautiously, leaning against the lichen-covered wall with his left arm, and walked to the bars, careful not to let any part of him brush the metal. What he didn't need now was more injuries. Squinting a little against the vivid yellow glow, Batman gazed out into a long corridor that was as entirely different from the décor of his cell as it was possible to be.

The walls were papered with expensive-looking beige textured wallpaper, bearing large raised flowery designs. The thick carpet was rose pink, but the edges closest to the cells were stained grey with the damp. The lights were covered by large felt lampshades, the kind you find in the foyer of cheap hotels. Batman couldn't lean out far enough to see what lay along his wall, but judging by the continuous line of mould along the floor it was probably more cells.

A thick wooden door to his right opened with a faint squeak of protest, and he stepped back into the shadows as two of the androids from earlier passed by. They paused by the door, the blue sensory arrays in their eyes flashing as they scanned the cell. The two parties stared silently at each other for a further few seconds, and then the robots turned and continued on down the corridor, their metal feet sinking slightly into the shag carpet. It was a bizarre sight; the corridor could be vaguely modern but the robot guards were thoroughly futuristic and, apart from the electricity the cells were like something out of the dark ages.

Batman had guessed that there were other cells, and this seemed to be confirmed as the muffled metal footsteps stopped twice more before another door at the other end opened and then closed, the rhythmic tapping suddenly cutting off.

Batman listened, trying to assess the situation further. There was the steady dripping from the walls and ceiling, and the monotonous buzzing from the electrified metal, but beyond that he could hear nothing. Someone in another cell – it sounded like J'onn – groaned quietly.

Batman moved to the left corner of his cell, closer to the sound.

"J'onn." He whispered. "Is that you?"

"Batman?" Came the tired reply.

"Are you alright?"

"I believe so…though my head aches, and I don't feel strong enough to move yet. I'm wearing some sort of collar…it's inhibiting my powers."

"Can you see Superman?" There was a slight pause, and the sound of rustling fabric as J'onn adjusted his position.

"No." He replied eventually. "But earlier I heard movements in the adjacent cell. I believe he is unconscious…"

"No…I – I'm here…" Superman's voice was so weak that Batman, 2 cells over, could barely hear him.

"Superman!" Exclaimed J'onn, full of concern. "What has been done to you?"

"Not sure…there's – there's a collar…whatever it is, it feels…like kryptonite."

There was another pause, and then a quiet _zzap_ and a muffled cry of pain.

"J'onn! What is it?"

"Apparently the collars are not intended to be removed." J'onn replied with forced calm. "They seem to be giving off the same sort of red glow as Red X's suits…"

"Red X isn't behind this." Said Batman firmly. "They were after them as well as us."

"What happened?" asked J'onn, and Batman remembered that he'd been knocked out first.

"A group of androids attacked us, though I suspect Red X was the primary target." Replied Batman, inspecting the bars of his cell. He missed his utility belt.

"The use of the kryptonite laser suggests they were expecting to run into Superman." Pointed out J'onn.

"They _were_ in Metropolis." Batman nodded, backing away from his cell door. "Where is Red X?" Continued the Martian.

"I'm not sure." Answered Batman.

"Gentlemen!" The Leaguers broke off their conversation as a fourth voice joined them, this one completely unfamiliar. It was high and plummy, and sounded slightly foreign. "Perhaps I can answer some of your questions."

A man strode into view, hands clasped behind his back as he walked. He was dressed in a tan tweed suit, which somewhat matched the walls but not the two android guards who shadowed him, their crimson sensory arrays scanning the cells for any threat that the heroes might pose. The man walked along the corridor with the air of a man in total control, completely at ease with the situation. His mousy, military, buzz-cut hair was thin and greying at the edges, but his wide grey eyes gleamed with a manic intelligent energy. There was a thick salt-and-pepper moustache quivering above his upper lip. He stopped before the middle cell – J'onn's – so that they could all see him, swivelling jauntily on the ball of one foot.

"Now, hands up!" He said cheerily. "Who's confused right now, hmm?" The League stared back at him stonily. They'd all been in this situation before. They knew better than to respond. "Well, not to worry, old boys, I'll clear things up for everybody. First things first – introductions. I am –"

"Locke Vice." Finished Batman, already bored of the man's prattling. "Founder of Vice Mechanics. Former president of the Civilian Society for Justice. Arrested on 3 counts of assault and battery."

"Ah, about that –"

"Convicted of the murder of Terence Ward, a small-time criminal in Blüdhaven." Continued Batman, a little anger seeping into his accusations. "Sentenced to life imprisonment in Stonewall. You escaped by chance on the 17th April when another inmate was broken out."

"Well, well, aren't we well informed?" Replied Vice coldly, his flow interrupted, a small smile still fixed to his face. "It's as you say; I was charged with the murder of that petty thief." The smile dipped, became a grimace. "The whole thing was a disgusting miscarriage of justice."

"Then…you didn't kill him?" Enquired J'onn.

"Oh, no, I killed him, of course." Said Vice quietly. "But the courts didn't understand that I did it for the good of the people! Ward was worthless scum, the sort of vile parasite that infests the world we live in. He was a criminal. I brought him to justice."

"Justice doesn't involve murder." Growled Superman

"It's not murder. It's justified extermination. Like killing cockroaches before they overrun a building." There was something dangerous in the way he spoke; calm, self-righteous, and completely self-assured. This was a man who completely believed everything he was saying.

"What do you want, Vice?" Murmured Superman wearily. "Why bring us here?"

"And what have you done with Red X?" Added Batman.

Vice just smiled.


	7. Chapter 6

X1 groaned, awoken by a dull pounding in his head that grew gradually sharper as things came into focus. He was lying face-down on a bare concrete floor, the cold of the stone seeping through the fabric of his suit. Quickly, he ran through a list in his head, testing himself before he got up. Body in good shape: Check. Mask still on: Check. Not tied up or chained to anything: Check. For once. Vaguely, Jason wondered who'd taught him that list.

_Oh, that's right_. He thought. _Batman_.

As soon as that word came into his head, 14 years worth of forgotten memories suddenly burst to the surface again, rushing through his mind, jostling to be the first one examined. Overwhelmed, he shook them aside. Sorting out his head could wait. He had more pressing matters to attend to.

Jason pushed himself up off the floor and quickly got to his feet. Looking around, he took a cursory glance at his surroundings. The 'cell' comprised of a small, square patch of concrete bordered by four walls of vertical red lasers, projected from some invisible source above. There were no lights in the room, but the lasers glowed very softly, dimly illuminating the contents of his cell but not brightly enough to see anything else. In the gloom surrounding him, Jason could just make out the geometric outlines of what must be other cells, arranged in a grid so that each directly bordered four more, the wall of one cell also making the wall of another. There appeared to be hunched figures in most, of not all, of them, and this seemed to be confirmed by the muttering and occasional shuffling in the darkness.

"1?"

Jason almost jumped out of his suit at the voice which whispered behind him. Spinning around, he moved to face his attacker, but in the soft red wash of light he saw only X2, sitting on the bare floor behind him, her knees drawn up against her chest. X1 lowered his fists.

"What's going on?" He murmured, moving quickly towards her, looking about as he did so. The oppressive quiet was putting him on edge.

"No idea." She whispered back as he sat beside her. "I only woke up a few minutes ago. Don't bother," she added as he tried to activate the infra-red imaging in his suit, "the power cores have been removed."

Jason nodded, storing the information. "Bats and the others?"

"No idea." Jason was shocked to hear her voice quavering slightly. He'd known her for two years, and in that time she'd never once shown open fear. As if reading his shock, she cleared her throat and sat up straighter. "I don't remember anything after the Martian got me. I guess they got caught too?"

"As far as I know."

"Jay." She murmured, turning to him and lowering her voice so only he could hear her, a little bit of the fear creeping back into her voice. "The guy in the next cell – it's _him_…"

Confused, Jason started to reply, when a wheedling voice from the cell behind him made him freeze where he sat, cold shivers of terror running over his spine.

"Now, is that any way to talk about a friend?" It said reproachfully.

"You're no friend of ours, clown." Taryn growled, swiftly masking her fear.

"Oh, Exy, I'm hurt. After all, the enemy of my enemy…" His voice became lower, changing in a word from light and jovial to quietly terrifying. And then his face loomed out of the darkness like a ghost from the grave, the alabaster features and grinning tombstone teeth stained blood-red by the glow.

The Leaguers watched stony-faced as Vice's robotic lackeys wheeled in a thin, black television screen about the size of a pool table and mounted on a surgical trolley.

"Gentlemen!" He cried when the screen had been positioned, back to the theatrical madman persona he'd projected when he first entered. "Please watch closely, and all will be revealed." Like a cheap magician pulling a rabbit from a hat, Vice produced a slim remote control from inside his hunting jacket and, with a flourish, activated the screen. At first, there was little to be made out but thinly interspersed red lines, but then Vice pressed another button on the control and the room on the display was thrown into harsh halogen light. Inside was every supervillain that had allegedly 'disappeared' over the past few weeks, giving Batman an unpleasant but not completely unanticipated shock. Quickly, he scanned the villains on view, and finally his eyes fell on two small figures dressed in black, looking disorientated but otherwise unharmed. His spirit rose momentarily, but then he realised who it was that inhabited the adjacent cell, and his heart plummeted. This was all internal, of course; outwardly, all he did to show his anxiety was narrow his eyes and clench his fists.

"What do you think of my collection?" Purred Vice.

"I think you're mad if you believe you can hole up those psychopaths together." Replied Superman, struggling to stand in his cell, leaning heavily against the wall.

"What do you plan to do?" Asked J'onn quietly.

"I plan to do the world a great favour. These _creatures_ are the dregs of humanity, don't you agree? The very worst of the worst. Time and again you have struggled to stop their diabolical schemes, some have even been through _rehabilitation_," he said that word as if it were a disgusting curse, "but ultimately they regress, or escape, and the whole thing starts over again. Well, I intend to put an end to it."

Batman turned his full attention to Vice. He didn't like the way this was going.

"The only way to ensure that they do not try anything again is to terminate their existence. This is my ultimate intent. I, Locke Vice, will rid the world of crime and criminals, purge it of the pestilence that has marauded it for far too long.

"But I do not intend to do this alone. With your help, this will all be so much smoother. You, the rat-catchers, and I, the exterminator."

"You're insane!" Said Superman.

"Not so. I am merely taking your philosophy to its natural conclusion. We are on the same side, you and I."  
>"You're wrong." Said Batman quietly. "We fight for justice, not revenge."<p>

"Sometimes they are the same thing."

"They are never the same thing! We don't have the right to decide who lives and who dies."

"Some of the people in that room have the potential for change." Piped up J'onn. "Given time, it is possible that they may be able to save themselves."

"Really?" Said Vice, raising an eyebrow and smiling slightly. "Then you won't mind if I…_test_ that theory." Slowly, he raised the remote control and depressed a thin green button.

X1 was staring at the Joker, hot, sick anger bubbling through every fibre of his being. When he had come face to face with his would-be killer, seen his grotesque features looming out of the dark, his first reaction had been terror. The fear had turned him rigid, his mind seeming to freeze in place. For a few long, terrible seconds he had been rooted to the spot, unable to move or even think.

And then, suddenly, Bruce's face appeared in his head. He wore the expression that Jason had last seen on his face, in the final few seconds before his 'death'. The horror, the shock, and the overwhelming pain were scrawled across his face as if they'd been painted there in marker pen, and seeing him like that – so vulnerable, so scared – jolted Jason back to reality. The fear turned to anger, the anger to rage, and then he was filled with a hatred so intense it felt as if his veins were on fire. His entire life had almost been completely destroyed by this…_thing_. He was damned if he was wasn't going to return the favour in full.

His vision turned red in way that had nothing to do with filters in his helmet. The other inmates had gasped when the laser bars suddenly retracted, dissipating in the cold white air, but Jason hardly noticed. Suddenly he wanted nothing more than to rip Joker apart with his bare hands, tear him in the way he'd torn down Jason's life.

Joker, jumping up and brushing himself off in his relative freedom, looked over and saw X1 standing opposite, his hands balled and shaking. Curiously, he raised an eyebrow.

"Is there a problem here?" He asked, sounding mildly annoyed. Jason started forwards, but suddenly X2 grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.

"Bad plan, Jay." She muttered. Jason didn't even look at her, and yanked his hand back angrily, but she grabbed hold of the front of his cape and span him around to face her.

"Seriously. Bad. Plan."

"Get off!"

"Get a grip! We're in a room full of people on his side."

"I don't care! If you knew what that – that freak did to me…"  
>"I <em>do <em>know. Believe me. I know." That snapped Jason out of it. For the first time he turned his attention to her.

"You…you know?"

"Yeah. And unless you want the rest of the room to know too, I suggest you stop yelling and calm the hell down."

Jason was still breathing hard, but he could feel the anger draining out of him as his brain kicked in. Gradually, he realised that most of the supervillains in the room were staring at them, and forced himself to stop shaking with the adrenaline still rushing around his system. Showing weakness in front of these people probably wasn't a smart idea.

Ignoring the large part of him that still wanted to flay the Joker alive, he turned his back on the clown and took X2 over to one side, leaning casually against the wall, glaring at everyone else. Eventually, they lost interest in the two thieves, and started to talk among themselves.

"How long have you known?" Muttered Jason quietly.

"I wasn't sure. Not until you and Bats had that fight."

"And you didn't _say_ anything because…?"

"Because…" She trailed off and looked away.

"What?" He demanded. She sighed angrily and stared back at him.

"Can we please talk this over when we're not surrounded by people who'd torture and eventually kill us if they realised what we're talking about? Let's just focus on getting out of here for now."

Jason thought about arguing, but the small part of him thinking logically realised that she was right.

"Fine. Any ideas?" He glanced over to the far wall, where Bizarro and Blockbuster were attempting to punch their way through, seemingly ignorant of the way their fists kept rebounding off some sort of crackling energy field.

"There's a shaft in the –" Taryn broke off and cleared her throat, then carried on, "—in the ceiling."

Jason looked up and saw the grill that she was talking about, set above the dead centre of the room, about 10 feet off the ground.

"There's – there's some along the bottom of the wall, too." Jason coughed, his throat suddenly feeling very dry.

"They're too small…" X2 stopped again and coughed hard, leaning against the wall. "Is it getting hard to breathe in here?" She said suddenly.

As if on cue, a volley of choking and retching noises started up from the assembled villains, almost everyone in the room doubling over.

"Gas!" Shouted Star Sapphire, covering her mouth and nose.

"It's coming from the floor vents!"

"Someone block them up!"

"YOU block them! I'm getting out of here!"  
>"Oh, great. HOW, exactly?"<p>

The bickering grew, until someone spotted Mirror Master kneeling on the floor, quietly pulling a concealed mirror from inside the heel of his boot.

"Hey! He's getting out!"

"Not without me!"

"GIVE ME THE MIRROR!"

Suddenly the room was filled with brawling supervillains, fighting over the mirror, crushing up against the walls, trying to get out. Bizarro was punching the wall with greater and greater force. X2 watched with mounting concern as the energy field absorbed the blows, slowly turning from transparent to pulsating, poisonous blue.

"Stop!" She yelled, running forwards.

"2! Wait!" Shouted Jason.

"Bizarro! Stop! Don't be stupid!" Cried Taryn, trying to push the leviathan back.

"BIZARRO…AM…STUPID!" He screamed back, and drew back his fist to punch the wall again.

"Don't!"

"Taryn! MOVE!" Jason dove in and grabbed her, pulling her away seconds before the punch landed. The energy field bent inwards, and for a second it seemed like it would break, but then it sprang back and released a pulse of energy that knocked everyone off their feet into the thin green blanket of mist that covered the floor. Gagging, Jason pulled Taryn to her feet as all around them the villains staggered around or lay on the floor, motionless. Unfortunately, Bizarro was not one of these. Through a semi-sentient haze, he locked eyes on Red X. He remembered X2 standing in front of him, and the sudden stinging blow that had driven him back. Somewhere in his mixed-up mind he made a connection, and growled.

"Oh, crud." Muttered Jason as Bizarro towered above them both, murder in his misshapen expression.


	8. Chapter 7 Final

Vice turned off the television as Bizarro lunged forwards, the look of horror frozen on Batman's face.

"So you see, the so-called supervillains cannot change, not even to save themselves." He said, dismissing the matter with a wave of his hand.

"Murderer!" Cried Superman, standing as close to the bars as he dared.

"Do you still think so?" Replied Vice sadly, as if Superman were a stubborn child opposing a teacher. "Think of all the lives I have just saved."

Suddenly Superman reached through a gap and grabbed the central bar, pulling as hard as he could. Jittering bolts of electricity played over his arm and chest, but Superman gritted his teeth and kept pulling.

"What are you doing? You can't possibly hope to –" The bar creaked as it started to bend, and the superior smile slipped on Locke Vice's face. Clearly the restraint collars were not as powerful as he hoped. He stepped back as the bar groaned, slipping inwards, and for a moment it looked like Superman might succeed. But Vice turned and nodded to one of his robotic assistants, who stepped forward, one arm raised.

"Superman!" shouted J'onn. His concentration broken, Superman looked up into the glowing sensory arrays of machine. The ray mounted on the robot's arm fired a thin bolt of sickly green light directly into Superman's chest. Superman felt it as a needle of fire stabbing into his heart, and suddenly he didn't even have enough strength to cry out. He fell back onto the floor of his cell, and didn't move again.

"Such a waste." Murmured Vice, looking down at his body. Turning to the others, he took in their horrified expression and rolled his eyes.

"I'm not going over this again. I'm afraid I have some pressing business to attend to. But I'll give you time to think this over; perhaps with time you'll come around to my way of thinking. Good evening, gentlemen."

So saying, he strode out of the room without looking back, the two androids following behind him. He closed the door on the two living superheroes and walked purposefully down the metal corridor, thinking events over in his head. With a few exceptions, everything had gone to plan. Superman's death was regrettable, but did not unduly derail the plan; there had always been the distinct chance that the Man of Steel could not be converted, in which case he would have had to be killed anyway. The refusal of the other Justice Leaguers to cooperate was likewise a minor inconvenience – they would come around, once he revealed the true scope of his ideas. Besides, he thought, smiling to himself, there's always other ways of convincing people to see the light.

He came to a thick, circular door, like the door of a bank vault, and scanned his thumb into the console on the wall. There was a small bleep of confirmation, and the door swung open to reveal the central control room. Vice smiled again as his greatest creation came into view, the crucial piece in his puzzle, dominating the room.

The twin-barrelled, 100-foot high, chrome-and-silver laser cannon rested on its circular pedestal, pointing up into the sky, silently tracking the progress of a single satellite in orbit over earth. Vice couldn't see the satellite as anything other than a particularly bright star in the slit of sky visible to him, but in his mind's eye he saw the _Judgement_ as he had seen it before it launched two months ago, the seventeen mirrors designed to focus the laser's light giving it the appearance of an enormous metal flower. The oxymoronic image struck Vice as poetically ironic, and he moved over to a nearby technician working feverishly at a NASA-style console.

"How long until she's in range?" He asked quietly. The man jumped, nervously straightening his glasses.

"J-Just under 3 hours, Mr Vice."

Vice nodded. He had planned this for months. He could wait a few more hours. A shiver of excitement ran up his spine as he looked back at the cannon. In a mere 180 minutes, he would destroy the hub of America's crime, and send the scum of the earth fleeing in terror. The thought made him want to laugh out loud.

Moving to his left, he checked the targeting console again. Everything was in place.

In one swift move, he would cut off the snake's head and cripple its writhing body. As for the innocent civilians, Vice considered them an acceptable loss. The same sacrifices had been made in every war. Their deaths would be justified in the cleansing of America, the purging of the evil that was Gotham City. And after that…Metropolis? Central City? As long as judgment was passed, Vice didn't care. The criminals would repent, or be destroyed.

May God have mercy on their souls, he thought. Because I won't.


End file.
